In 1993, the Open University in Milton Keynes, UK, refurbished the open-plan first floor Design Studio in their Publishing Department to use natural ventilation to keep the interior cool. At the same time the third floor, which was not suitable for passive cooling, was fitted with mechanical comfort cooling units and the intermediate floor was not changed. This paper compares tl1e thermal performance of the three floors and discusses the results of a staff-satisfaction survey conducted among the occupants.
The relationships, in courtyards, between wind flow pattern and temperature distribution have been studied. Thus, in the first part of this study a dimensionless temperature based on the exchange of heat by convection is defined. Then, using the ratio of depth to width (Aspect Ratio) as the main parameter, we are able to explain the curious behaviour observed. Finally, courtyards are divided into several zones in order to separate the different heat sources in each one, allowing us a stratification study.
In the temperate climate, the consistency of bioclimatic designs for heating and cooling is essential. However, the traditional Japanese houses which have excellent cooling techniques often disclose their poor thermal performance in the winter time. Since Jong it has been said that they sacrificed the heating performance in return for the cooling performance, as a result of their choice in the time when the consistency was technically impossible.
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